By OkayGoal 
Star senior goalkeeper for the University of Washington Huskies, Mia Hamant, died in November after fighting a rare form of kidney cancer, called renal medullary carcinoma.
Only diagnosed in April, Mia spent the last season of her career cheering on her teammates from the sidelines while courageously undergoing treatment for the disease that affects less than one in 100 people around the world.
She was a standout player, earning multiple titles in her collegiate career, including being named to the Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team her junior year and posting the third-lowest single-season goals against average in program history, according to the University of Washington.
Huskies Head Coach, Nicole Van Dyke, called Mia “the heart of our program” with an “unshakable spirit that inspired her teammates and coaches every single day.”
While grieving her illness and managing the emotional turmoil that comes with a friend, teammate, classmate, and star player navigating such an illness, the Huskies showed up and fought to the end, just like Mia.
Three days after her death, the Huskies took their first-ever tournament win against Michigan in the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament after a penalty shootout.
During the game, players from both teams wore orange wristbands and ribbons in honor of kidney cancer awareness.
After scoring during the penalty shootout, Washington player Jadyn Holdenried showed her undershirt where she had written, “For Mia.”
Players looked emotional after their win, both reveling in their triumph while recognizing the pain of their loss.
Van Dyke spoke to the Big Ten Network after the win, acknowledging the impact Mia had on the team and the tournament.
“It’s obviously been a hard week, but it just shows how much this team loves each other, how much they care about each other and how much we love Mia,” she said. “”Mia has been with us the whole time. She’s a part of everything we do. She will always be.”
Washington Goalkeeper Tanner Ijams discussed how they processed the death of Hamant, saying, “we cried together, we sobbed together, we reminisced on moments with her together and really just contributed to the team spirit.”
How did the team prepare for the game? They listened to a playlist curated by Hamant herself, knowing she was right there with them In the final.